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Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who was denied entry to the facility this week, said Health Department inspectors were not allowed to do a full inspection.
ICE agents use their baton as they clash with protesters outside the Delaney Hall detention center during a protest on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
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Concerns are growing about Delaney Hall, a large federal immigrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, that is believed to be holding around 900 people picked up in communities across the Garden State.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill and several members of Congress attempted to enter the facility Memorial Day, as some detainees began a hunger strike, but the governor was denied entry and she has called for Delaney Hall to be shut down.
The Department of Homeland Security said that about six demonstrators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers as activists clashed with armed federal immigration officers outside of the facility Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker posted on social media on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 27, that he was permitted to enter the facility to meet with those who run the detention center, as well as those who are being held inside.
“After seeing who is being held and the conditions under which they’re detained, I believe most Americans would agree that this facility is a moral stain on our community,” Booker wrote in the post. “In fact, the majority of the people we encountered have no criminal charges or the kind of violence or criminality that Donald Trump said he was going to be focusing his attention on. This is unacceptable to me.”
Booker concluded his post “demanding” that Delaney Hall be closed.
Who controls Delaney Hall?
Delaney Hall is a federal immigration detention center that is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and run by a private company called The GEO Group.
Members of Congress have the legal authority to show up at the facility and conduct oversight inspections. However, they have been stopped and delayed on multiple occasions by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement agents.
Sherrill, although serving as the leader of the Garden State, does not have the legal right to enter the facility.
That being said, no New Jersey official or congressional representative has the legal authority to shut down Delaney Hall.
The city of Newark filed a lawsuit against the GEO Group in April 2025, alleging they opened Delaney Hall without the necessary permits and inspections. The case was referred to mediation last month, and both sides have been directed to complete talks by June 15.
Who is being held in Delaney Hall?
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Wednesday that detainees at Delaney Hall include “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” such as murderers, individuals wanted for sexual assault, robbery, assault and illegal possession of firearms.
Lori Nessel is Seton Hall University School of Law professor, and the director of the Immigrants’ Rights/International Human Rights Law Clinic. She is also the director of the Seton Hall University Law Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative in the Center for Social Justice.
Nessel said the statements by DHS and the Trump administration are completely false.
“This is this myth that the administration constantly tries to perpetuate about Delaney, about any other detention centers,” Nessel said.
She said over 70% of immigrants being taken from the families and detained do not have criminal convictions.
One lawmaker said detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark are being given small portions of food that “very often” contain maggots.
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A statement issued by DHS said detainees receive comprehensive medical care and all are treated well.
“They are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals,” the department wrote.
The release accused Sherrill, Booker and U.S. Sen Andy Kim, as well as U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez, Nellie Pou, LaMonica McIver, Frank Pallone and Analilia Majia, of continuing “to peddle falsehoods about ICE facilities,” and “spreading smears about ICE law enforcement and the Delaney Hall ICE facility in New Jersey.”
Sinha said the assertion that individuals being arrested and taken to Delaney Hall are dangerous criminals is false.
“This is an administration that has repeatedly lied to us about what’s going on in immigration enforcement and immigration detention facilities,” Sinha said.
He added while Sherrill does not have the legal authority to enter Delaney Hall unannounced, that fact that she was denied entry is concerning.
“The federal government has denied her repeatedly, and it makes you question, ‘What is the federal government trying to hide?’” he asked. “They have no allegiance to any rule of law or semblance of democracy; they’re trying to rewrite the Constitution for people who are noncitizens.”
On Thursday, Sherrill issued a statement saying the New Jersey Department of Health attempted to conduct a inspection of Delaney Hall, but officials were only allowed to inspect only a limited part of the facility.
“We will review and share the department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility,” she said in the statement. “As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view.”
Sinha said a hunger strike among those inside the facility is continuing because they are being given spoiled food and inadequate medical care in deplorable conditions.
“People shouldn’t have to starve themselves to make their dignity known; people shouldn’t have to starve themselves to have their rights protected, but that’s what’s happening here,” he said.
Reports of escalating violence
Late Thursday afternoon there were reports of violence escalating within Delaney Hall.
Nedia Morsy, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, an immigration advocacy group, issued a statement saying multiple sources within the facility reported ICE agents attacking detainees and causing serious injuries.
“Right now there are ICE agents inside of Delaney Hall violently beating the hunger strikers,” Morsy said in the statement. “Someone will be killed if no one intervenes and shuts this down. These masked agents are acting as if they’re above the law. This is a modern-day concentration camp, and history will not forgive silence in this moment. We need to shut down Delaney Hall and free everyone inside.”
Resistencia en Accion, another immigrant rights group, also released a statement, calling for violence against detainees to end.
“We express our utmost disgust with the violence perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents today, May 28. Reports at approximately 1:40 p.m. reveal that ICE agents attacked the hunger strikers inside with batons and tear gas. Family members outside received calls from inside, confirming that there were people screaming, and according to their loved ones inside, unconscious detainees and blood on surfaces. ICE is the sole responsible actor for the escalation that has led to several wounded people inside and outside this week,” the statement reads.
WHYY News reached out to DHS late Thursday seeking comment about the reports of violence at Delaney Hall. A written statement was emailed to WHYY that said ICE agents had responded to a physical altercation involving detainees.
“In accordance with established ICE policies and their training, staff used the minimum amount of force to safely deescalate the situation,” DHS wrote. “Following the incident, all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site medical personnel and were cleared with no serious injuries.”
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